Under the Bridge

My home is under the bridge. It's not as bad as you think. I get shelter from the rain, my friends are there with me, and I'm right next the park and shopping center. I'm free, really, but sometimes I can't find food. My clothes get torn and sometimes stolen. Is it too much to ask for some money, food, or clothes? Why am I turned from, looked down upon? Why don't people seem to see me as I walk the streets? But, I always have my bridge, my trusty bridge.

I was walking down the streets of downtown today when I noticed all the homeless around. Strange, I never saw that many before. Some don't even look homeless. A lady walked up to my mother and I in clothes that looked not older than a year. She seemed high to me, mom just thought maybe she was a bit off in the head. She tried to make us give her our sunglasses. She played the sick card and everything, said she just lost someone (which I'm not saying isn't true, but still). Still, I felt bad. My mom, feeling cornered, gave her 2 bucks. She then said she was going to catch the bus now. However, she told us she needed food, mainly coffee, because she had a headache. So, after that we felt a bit taken advantage of. We told her, "God bless" before she left. All of a sudden she just stopped and looked at us. I smiled, then finally she smiled and left, walking in the middle of the street seeming to loose her balance.

After walking a bit more we hit a section of the street where people liked to perform. There was this guy (his picture and all is attached to this blog) who was sitting there in a chair, smoking, surrounded by cardboard signs resembling those of homeless "will work for food" signs. I've been looking all over the internet for him, but only find two references to him. He sits there everyday wearing nothing but rolled up pants. Around him are signs saying things full of nonsense like "Astronauts seal the deal with pigballer and N.A.S.A." What is pigballer? I have no clue, but it's all over his signs. He smokes, and smells oddly of liquor. One sign says he can't see, but how does he write his signs?

Aside from that, there are others who seem really nice. All the do is push their homes across the street. Literally, they push their homes. Everything they own is in a shopping cart. I wanted to stop and talk to one, he looked as though he needed a friend. Those who ask for food I want to buy some for them. Sadly, though, they often waste that food and let the pigeons eat it.

What saddens me most is that the majority of these people I see are either vets or crazy. I remember one who walked down the street dressed like a fishing captain just talking to himself. Another with a sign, sitting on the ground, that said homeless vet.

I wonder, how can our government let this happen? There are shelters. However, these shelters require them to stop drinking and look for a job. So, those who are sane, have a choice to get help or just live the way they are. Those who are crazy, however, I feel as if they need help. They're not in their right mental state, so they can't decide things like this. One walks in to work every morning, just before noon, who is schizophrenic.

So, if the government doesn't help, why don't their families? It's disturbing how they are just walking on the streets and no one, not even cops, do anything about it, at least where I am. Then again, no one around here really cares.

I can see how being homeless might be nice. I mean, you have no daily routine, don't have to worry about paying bills or taking care of a family, you get to sleep whenever you want... but what's the cost? Those who just end up homeless and try to fix it, they I applaud. They're nice, and some even have jobs. I know, homeless with jobs something that seems strange. However, here, houses are way too expensive, or if not they just don't earn enough money to pay for food, house, and clothing.

I know, most people won't give them money because they think they'll spend it all on booze or drugs. That may very well be true, but maybe if more showed they cared... no that would just be enabling them. How can we as a nation help this problem, not just where I am at but all across the country? The vets make me the maddest. They put their life on the line and our government can't even give them a house? What a great way to be repaid for serving.

“People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are people without homes.” - Sheila McKechnie

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